Paper Crowns
by ESTAMBLU
Summary: AU where Skye is four years old and Grant is seven. They live behind each other, one in an orphanage and one in a house. Their friendship blossoms as Skye deals with the hardships of life. Mentions of abuse and topics like that, some chapters are darker than others. I promise it's not as dark as I make it sound.
1. Skye and Ward

"_A paper crown_

_And a heart made of glass_

_A tattered gown_

_And her kingdom of ash_

_She walks alone_

_She can never look back_

_The story of a Queen whose castle has fallen to the sea_"

Four year old Skye wasn't a stranger to disappointment. In fact, they were kind of best friends. There was no one to love Skye. Skye was unlovable. Nine homes in four years. If Skye had learned anything during her math classes, it was that nine homes in four years was not something to brag about. That's more than two rejections each year. Of her life.

Looking up, Skye stared at the tall buildings in front of her. As much she'd hate to admit it, the St. Agnes Children's Orphanage was more of a home than anywhere else would ever be. Even if she did get adopted someday, mostly by some kind of miracle, this orphanage will always be her home. And she hated it. Making sure her delicately made paper crown was still intact and tucked in her hair, she walked up the steps to the cursed building.

Her paper crown was a metaphor. She was not the princess, but the Queen of her world. Her own Kingdom. Where she goes when things get bad. No doubt her kingdom has been crumbled and demolished a number of times, but she always built it back up. She feared the day her Kingdom would be gone for good, too broken to be fixed. But for now, every time her Kingdom would fall, she would patiently build it back up piece by piece. At least she was in control of something in her life. But in the back of her mind, through all the fantasies she made up, she knew there would be no King to come and save his Queen. And she accepted it.

Seven year old Grant Ward wasn't a complainer. With his parents working four part-time jobs a week while juggling the care of 7 unruly children, he simply understood the hardships that came with his life. He knew his parents were trying their hardest and wanted the world for him. That was okay, he thought. He knew some other people had it worse. For example, the orphanage behind their one story rustic house.

Always a fan of the outdoors, Grant spends most of his time in their hefty backyard. That backyard happens to share the same 7 foot tall wooden fence with the St. Agnes Children's Orphanage. Sometimes sitting in the corner of the immense backyard is the only way Grant can receive any personal time and space. With six brothers aged 2-15, to say his everyday life was a hectic would be an understatement. It doesn't help that his whole family are all home schooled.

It wasn't some sad story you see on the news, though. Grant knew his parents loved him. They made sure they spent quality time with each of their children when they had time. Spending "special time" with his parents were the highlight of Grants' weeks. No doubt that Grant was close with his parents, but they were mostly out working part time jobs. That left his whole family with Ms. Wheeler, a plump, blonde, middle-aged woman.

Ms. Wheeler comes by every weekday at exactly 7 o'clock, bringing textbooks and food with her. It was obvious to anyone that Ms. Wheeler deeply cared about the children, but anyone would admit taking care of 7 wild children ages 2-15 everyday for 12 hours was a handful. Grant assumed his parents paid good money for the service of Ms. Wheeler.

Sitting on the floor, Grant laid his head against the thick wooden fence with a sigh. Peace and quiet. Until it wasn't. Was it sniffing. Is someone crying? Grant shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't that Grant wasn't a social person, it's just that he didn't know how to make someone feel better. Brothers are for fighting each other, not comforting. It was clear the sniffing was from a girl, right behind him. From the orphanage. Not oblivious to the horrors that existed behind his yard, he became sympathetic. Or maybe he watched the movie "Annie" one too many times. It was clear Grant and the mystery girl were sitting back to back. Grant took a breath and started.

"Hello?" Grant waited when he heard the sniffing stop. Silence. He tried again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." A little girl's shaky voice lied.

"What's wrong?" Grant was legitimately concerned.

"Nothing." The crack in her voice betrayed her words. She sighed, knowing that even a baby could tell she was lying. "It's just that I got sent back. Again. I really thought they wanted me, you know?"

Grant nodded, trying to show his support while she went on. She sounded younger than Grant.

"They were nice, they brought me new clothes and toys, but they still sent me back. Why doesn't anyone want me?"

"Maybe they weren't the ones. Maybe you're supposed to wait for the perfect family. Even better than this one. The golden family." Grant wanted desperately to make this young girl feel better.

"Golden family." The girl repeated, smiling to herself. "Yeah. I just have to wait for the perfect family. Then they would be my forever family. Thanks.." She paused. "What's your name?"

"Grant. Grant Ward. What's yours?"

"Skye. But that's not my real name. No one knows my real name. If I even have one. The nuns call me Mary Sue Poots, but I hate that name. It makes me sound old." Skye finished with disgust.

Grant chuckled a bit. "Skye." he tried it out. "Will you be my friend, Skye?" Homeschooling was code for no friends.

Skye gasped. "Really? You want to be friends with me?" Grant could hear the excitement in her voice and smiled at how happy she was. Grant had made her happy. Grant decided he liked making Skye happy. "But you don't even know me! And we can't hang out because of this giant wall!" Skye's little brain confused.

"I know enough to want to be your friend." Grant replied.

"But what if you see me and think I'm ugly?" Skye's voice descended into a whisper. "That's what happened last time."

Grant was shocked. "What? No! Never! Why would someone do that? I would never judge you by how you look! I'll prove that right now. Let's find a way to see each other."

Skye wasn't one to be shy, but when it came to people judging her, past experiences have made her self conscious. "If you're sure."

Skye and Grant spent the next few minutes trying to find a chair or any other object that could help boost their height. Grant, being naturally taller, just needed a small table and some phone books. However, Skye, being shorter, had a harder time with limited resources. Grant realized he could easily stand taller than the fence when he tippy toed, so he informed Skye that he could just look over the fence.

Nervous. That was what Skye felt. Meeting people was kind of her life, but she had no special connection with anyone that came to the orphanage to find new kids. She would be heartbroken if Grant decided not to be friends with her anymore because of how she looked. She wasn't stupid, she knew she looked different than everybody else at the orphanage. Her hair was darker, her eyes were darker, and she just didn't fit in anywhere. The nuns had told her she just had a different ethnicity, but she didn't even know what that meant.

"Are you ready?" Grant made sure Skye was ready before he peeked over the fence. Skye and Grant both stared at each other for some time.

"Hi." Skye waved shyly, changing her weight on her feet.

"Hey." Grant was mesmerized by the tiny little girl in front of him. They just kind of stared at each other for some time. He was mostly shocked at how tiny she was. She looked like a skinnier girl version of her two year old brother. Grant decided it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"How old are you, Skye? I'm seven."

"I am four years old." Skye replied proudly. Skye was clearly a mixed race, maybe a combination of white and Asian. A poorly made paper crown sat on her head. Before they could continue, they heard a nun saying that recreation time was over and they needed to go back inside. "I have to go." Skye stated the obvious, looking behind her to see a bunch of kids run back into the building.

"Okay. Can we talk tomorrow? Same time?" Grant suggested.

Skye let out an adorable toothy smile, not believing that someone wanted her again. Skye nodded. "Yeah. Okay, Tomorrow. Bye!" With that, she scurried off into the distance, turning back and gave a last wave to Grant before jogging inside.

Grant smiled to himself, staring at Skye until her tiny head with a paper crown disappeared into the building. Once Skye was gone, he leaped down from the table and walked into the house, not telling anyone about his new friend.

* * *

Hey guys! (If anyone will actually read this) I hope you like this story, I have a lot more chapters ready to publish and please tell me any errors or suggestions I can put into the story. I take criticism as well as can be expected. I got this idea from the song "Paper Crown" by Alec Benjamin. Give it a listen if you want. It's a good song.


	2. Ms Wheeler

Hey! I thought I'd put out another chapter so you can get the general feel of the story. Keep in mind what I have planned is not all like this. Enjoy!

* * *

That night, Skye couldn't stop thinking about her new friend. From her short four years on this Earth, no one really liked her. The kids would bully her and the nuns were harsh on her, and foster families always ended with her getting sent back to the orphanage. Skye made a promise to herself that no matter what happens, she wanted to keep her friendship with Grant because he was the first person to genuinely care about her.

Happier than she ever was, Skye didn't even notice the stern looks she received from the nuns or cared when the older kids stole her food. There was just one thing on her mind. She made a friend. All by herself. That was enough to get her through dinner, sitting alone in the corner, next to the trash can.

When it was time to sleep, Skye walked in to her shared room with a skip in her step and didn't register when one of her six roommates stole her blanket. She delicately placed her special paper crown on her pillow. Instead of the daily nightmares, her slumber was filled with happy scenarios. Her Kingdom, slowly becoming stronger. She was free, running around in a field of flowers. No one telling her what to do. She let out a laugh, a sound only in her dreams. She never wanted it to end. She felt so..happy. Nothing would bring down her mood. Until the next morning.

Her stomach was rumbling, the consequences of letting people steal her dinner finally catching up to her. She was still tired, having a terrible night in the cold without a blanket. Trying to get her own spirits up, she told herself that breakfast would be soon and then there would be lunch and then she could see Grant again. In the warm sun. That made her feel better.

Except she was too late to breakfast (a mean kid had locked her in the closet), and she was so tired by lunch she couldn't fight back the people stealing her lunch. Almost in tears, she sat next to her trashcan and hoped there were extra scraps she could pick out. Like an animal. A tear finally rolled down her soft cheeks when she realized that there were none. Tired and hungry, she trudged all the way to the fence when it was recreational time, refusing to let her new friend down. Grant was already there, waiting.

"Hey Skye!" Grant was excited to see his friend again.

"Hi." Skye replied tiredly, trying her best to smile.

Automatically, Grant new something was wrong. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Friends tell friends everything, right? Skye thought, she didn't want to let her only friend down. "I'm just hungry. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday and last night was horrible. Stupid Rebecca stole my blanket and it was so cold! I couldn't sleep until it was time to wake up, but then Peter had to lock me in the closet again, so by the time I picked the lock, I was like one minute too late but Sister Margaret said I 'always have to be on time because that's polite and families want polite children' even though I was starving so then I tried waiting for lunch but-"

"Skye!" Skye stopped her rambling and looked up. Grant's eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were wide. _Oh no. She did it again._

"Dang it!" She kicked the dirt in front of her. "I'm sorry, I know I talk too much. That's why the Hudson's got rid of me. They said I 'talked back'. But isn't that how conversations are supposed to work? No one wants me if I don't talk, but if I talk no one wants me either? Why are adults so stupid?" Skye glared at the floor in front of her when she realized she was rambling again.

"No, it's okay. You don't talk too much. You can talk as much as you want with me. I was just stopping you to ask if you wanted some food from my home. We have some extras from lunch if you want?" Grant offered.

Wide eyes glazed back in bewilderment. "Really?" Skye couldn't believe someone was being this nice to her.

"Yeah," Grant smiled. "I'll bring some out right now. Ms. Wheeler would be happy."

Before Skye could ask who Ms. Wheeler was, Grant was gone through the yard door. Skye waited patiently, drawing shapes with her fingers until she hears footsteps again.

"Who's Ms. Wheeler?" Skye tilted her head. Kids don't usually refer to their parents like that.

"Oh, she's my teacher slash caretaker." Grant elaborated, "Me and my six brothers are all homeschooled so Ms. Wheeler spends the day teaching and taking care of us."

"What about your parents?" Skye couldn't stop herself from asking and regretted it immediately. She knew parents could be a sensitive topic for some people.

To her surprise, Grant just smiled replied, "They're working so they have enough money to pay for Ms. Wheeler, food, and the house."

"Wouldn't it be cheaper to just go to public school and get free lunch?" Now Skye couldn't stop talking, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Yeah, but my parents want all of us to get a higher education to get better jobs. Ms. Wheeler said homeschooled children are better at college and managing time. Also the school district kinda sucks. There's a lot of bullying and it's not a safe environment." Grant finished proudly, mentally praising himself for remembering the speech and delivering it.

"Oh." Honestly, Skye didn't understand half of that.

"Would you like a sandwich? Ms. Wheeler makes the best sandwiches."

"Are you sure? What if someone else is hungry?"

"I'm sure no one would mind, we have snacks all over the house."

Skye couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Grant had food whenever he wanted, a stable home, and two parents who loved him. Just one of those would be a dream come true for Skye. She had to fight to have a decent amount of cold orphanage food, and to even have one person to genuinely care for her would be more than she would ever ask for. Still, she appreciated Grant for giving her free food.

"Thank you, Grant. I really mean it." Skye shyly took the sandwich in her hands and savoured each bite.

They fell into a comfortable silence while Skye munched on her first food for over 24 hours, and Grant reflecting on how lucky he was even though his parents weren't around much. Suddenly, the Skye heard the door open from Grant's backyard, while a female voice spoke.

"Grant, how's your sandwich? Sorry, I didn't know you were still hungry after the other sandwich. If you had told me I would have made you a big-" There was a pause. "Grant! What are you doing standing on a table?! You know how dangerous that is? You could get hurt!"

"Ms. Wheeler!" Grant rushed to explain. "This is Skye, she's my friend, and she hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday, so I gave her my sandwich."

At this point, Skye was terrified. What if Ms. Wheeler never let Grant talk to her again? No one wanted their child wasting food on a stranger! And no one liked orphans.

Ms. Wheeler spoke. "You gave the little girl your sandwich?"

Skye couldn't hold back any longer. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! You can have it back! Actually I'll give you my lunch tomorrow to make up for your loss of food. I can even-"

"Sweetheart, it's okay. You can eat whatever you like from this house, within reason, of course. Why haven't you eaten since over 24 hours? That's not healthy for a growing child like you, you must be famished!" Ms. Wheeler wasn't mad. Actually, Ms. Wheeler wasn't mad at _Skye_, she was mad at _the orphanage_ for not feeding the small little girl.

Out of all the scenarios Skye had prepared for in her head, this was not one of them. "What?" Skye didn't know what to do.

Ms. Wheeler just smiled and spoke, "How old are you, sweetheart?"

Skye's heart grew warm with the nickname. "Four."

"Wow! You're almost a big girl!" Ms. Wheeler exclaimed.

"Really? Everybody calls me a baby." Skye's chocolate eyes locked onto Ms. Wheeler's.

And it was _that_ moment. Ms. Wheeler fell in love with the little girl. The four year old had a sloppily made paper crown on her head, a worn out long-sleeved shirt that was too big and a pair of boys' shorts that were too small, but her eyes were breathtaking. Those brown _eyes_. It was filled with such desperation, a hundred shades of emotion all mixed in the young four year old. There was pain, sorrow, abandonment, but hope. Hope, ambition, and determination. From Ms. Wheeler's thirty-five years on Earth, she has never seen eyes that conveyed such maturity. The innocence the four-year-old held in her brown eyes were as pure as gold, but grasped the hardships and experiences of a veteran soldier who had seen far too much at war.

"You are most definitely _not_ a baby. You are phenomenal, okay?"

Skye blinked her brown eyes and tilted her head, something Ms. Wheeler thought was the cutest thing ever. "What does fumemememal mean?"

Ms. Wheeler chuckled. "_Phenomenal_. It means extraordinary. It means you're special and there's no one else like you."

Skye beamed. "Fenominal." Skye was the happiest she's ever been for a long time. "You're very nice, Ms. Wheeler. Could you be my friend?"

The older woman laughed in amusement. "Of course, Skye. Will you be my friend too?"

The young girl jumped up in happiness, "Yeah! Yeah, for sure!" Grant Ward was the best thing that has ever happened to Skye.

* * *

Ms. Wheeler was a random character I made up. Again, please give me feedback. I really need it. Until next time!


	3. Fight

About half an hour has passed, Skye and Grant were chatting happily and Ms .Wheeler was back in the house, taking care of the other children.

"I really like Ms. Wheeler. I think she likes me too." Skye started.

"Oh, she _definitely_ likes you. I've never seen her like that before." Grant told the youngster.

Skye was about to continue when she heard someone behind her.

"Mary Sue POOP! Who are you talking to, loser? Are you trying to get the family next door to adopt you? We both know that will NEVER happen, Poop, no one likes you." A boy about the age of Grant taunted her, stalking closer and closer. He had a group of three other boys laughing behind him.

"Go away, Peter." Skye looked away, her body tense.

"Why? Are you _scared_?" Peter continued to push Skye forward, her head crashing into the fence, earning a wail from Skye. Peter and his gang just laughed.

"Hey!" Grant yelled, successfully getting the attention. "Get away from her!" While Grant was making threats, Skye got up and kicked the boy in the shin, victoriously bringing the older boy down to the floor. "Skye! Watch out!" Grant tried to warn Skye as another boy came behind her, fist ready for a punch.

Skye turned around just in time for a fist to connect with her face, the impact landing her on the ground. Grant cringed, thinking of any way that he can help his friend. Skye was surprisingly unfazed. Grant had never seen this side of Skye and watched in amazement as Skye got up from the ground, and threw a powerful punch to the boy.

"I said, GET AWAY!" Skye screamed, hands balled into fists, eyes full of anger. With that, the boys scurried away like rats.

Stunned, Grant had to take a moment to regain his composure. He had never seen her like that. While other kids might be scared and never speak to the girl again, Grant was in awe. He had a newfound respect for the younger girl who was full of surprises. Out of words, Grant awkwardly tried to fill the silence, "You're left handed?"

Breathless, Skye just replied, "Yeah." While wiping her bloody nose on her sleeve. She was still a little out of breath when Grant spoke again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You hit your head pretty hard."

"Yeah."

"You should probably get it checked out."

"Yeah."

"Those guys were jerks."

"Yeah."

Grant didn't know what else to say, but he didn't have to when he heard a nun yell out from the other side of the yard.

"MARY SUE POOTS, COME HERE THIS INSTANT YOU DEVIL CHILD." Geez, you'd think for a Nun, she'd be more nice.

Skye sighed one more time, before looking into the eyes of Grant. Grant didn't know what he saw in her eyes, but they weren't the same eyes with the spark that was there a few minutes ago. After a few seconds of searching each other's eyes, Skye turned away and limped away to the nun.

Grant watched in horror as Skye approached the nun. The nun didn't even let Skye speak before slapping her hard across the face. The nun continued to yell and lecture Skye, her pointy finger poking Skye with every emphasis. Skye just stood still, hands behind her back and her head bowed down. Grant couldn't look any longer. The little girl in front of the nun was bleeding and all the nun could to is slap and yell at her? That's sick. Why would any adult purposely hurt us? Grant thought. Grant was about to climb down the table when something bright caught his eye. It was paper reflecting the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, it was Skye's paper crown. The young boy had wanted to ask Skye about it, why she was always wearing it, but never got the chance. It was important to her, he knew that much.

The paper crown was on the other side of the fence. To retrieve it, Grant would have to be on the other side-or under. This was Grant's mission. Obtain the paper crown that meant a lot to Skye. Easy. He found the big shovel that his dad sometimes used to help his mom plant flowers. His mom always loved flowers. Especially Daisy's. He dug up the dirt from his yard, making a tiny tunnel into the Orphanage's yard, only stopping when he could reach the paper crown. Grabbing the crown before anyone could see it, he sloppily filled the dirt hole between the two properties.

Closely examining it, Grant was saddened to find out the paper crown was broken. Not that it was in good condition before, but now it was unwearable. Skye would be heartbroken if she found out. It had dirt all over it, ripped up like a dog went bloody murder on it, and crumbled like Skye's soul.

Well, there was only one thing Grant could do. Fix it. Fixing a paper crown for a girl he barely knew for a reason he didn't know. It was perfect. Half way through, Grant abandoned his mission. Fixing was hopeless. It was like taping together a china doll. Simply impossible. So he thought of the next best thing. Make her a new one.

Turns out, easier said than done. But that didn't stop Grant Ward. He was determined. After hours of failed attempts, he was satisfied with his paper crown. In all honesty he could've made it way faster and better had he used glue, scissors, and more paper, but the original was just folds and one sheet, so Grant's would be too.

But Grant never got to give it to her. Because she wasn't there the next day. Or the day after that. Grant had even put Daisy's on the crown.

A week passed. No Skye. Grant still waited everyday, hoping that it would be the day that Skye finally returned. And she did.

Two weeks later, Grant saw a little girl limp over.

"Skye? Skye! SKYE!" Grant was desperate. He missed her. A lot. And was worried. A lot.

* * *

WOWOWOW look I updated three chapters in an hour. Mostly cause it was prewritten. but thats not the point. Constructive feedback is wanted. Please.


	4. Conversations

Skye was a little shocked. She had come to terms that Grant hated her. Every time someone took an interest in her, she had to ruin it. Why was she always so bad? Every time Skye got angry or upset, she'd yell. Or punch. Or both. Maybe worse. But she doesn't strike for no reason. Like a snake, it won't attack if you don't attack it first. And that's how Skye was. She learned from a young age to fight for herself. But people get scared when she does that. And now Grant is one of those people. But he was standing in front of her. Calling her name.

"SKKYYYYEEEEEEE!"

Skye took in a deep breath. "Hi."

"What happened? Are you okay? Why weren't you here for two weeks?"

"I was in trouble for the fight. Even though Peter started it. No one ever believes me."

"I believe you. I'll believe everything you tell me. What happened to your leg?"

"I sprained it. Actually, Peter sprained it."

"Well, I hope this makes you feel better," Grant showed Skye his paper crown surrounded by daisies. "I made your crown for you."

Skye looked up in surprise. "My Crown?" Skye didn't know he noticed. Or cared.

She missed it dearly, as it was given to her by her previous foster family. Years ago. They were nice. They were about to adopt her when the mom died of a heart attack. Then the father didn't want Skye anymore. But that home had shaped Skye as a person. She cared deeply for the crown. It was from the home that introduced her to fairy tales. God knows where she would be without her fairy tales and fantasies.

"Yeah. It must have fallen when Peter pushed you. I had to dig a hole into your side to get it. I even used a shovel. Cool right?"

"I guess."

"Anyway, when I got it, it was severely damaged. So I made you one myself. I hope you like it."

"You made one? For me?"

"Yeah. I figured it means a lot to you since you wear it all the time."

Skye couldn't help it, she started tearing up. Caught off guard, Grant backpedaled.

"Um-uh-I- if you don't want it I understand-"

"No!" Skye cut him off. "No. I love it. Thank you very much i-it means a lot to me. You didn't have to, you know."

"Yeah. I know. But I wanted to."

Skye smiled, still fighting the tears threatening to spill over her bruised face. "You're a very good friend, Grant Ward." Skye was getting overly-emotional, almost full-out crying. Almost. Crying was for babies. As Skye put her crown back on, she was in control over her kingdom again. And maybe, just maybe, Skye will let Grant help rebuild her Kingdom.

* * *

A few months have passed, Grant and Skye not missing a day of talking to each other. The two have grown awfully close, Skye telling Grant things she's never told anyone before. Grant had really pushed down walls Skye didn't even know she had. Skye had even met Grant's parents. They honestly thought Grant and Skye's little friendship was adorable. But not permanent. They didn't know how long those two kids could keep up before life happens.

"Hey Skye," Grant started, not knowing how to approach the idea he formed the night before.

"What's up?" Skye had grown fully relaxed in the presence of Grant. She was walking in circles with a stick, doing who-knows-what.

"Do you think the Nuns would allow you to come over for a play-date?"

Whatever Skye was doing, she stopped. "A play-date?"

"Yeah. Like you can come over to my house or I can come over to the orphanage for some time and we can just hang out in person."

"That sounds cool. And fun. And impossible." Skye deadpanned.

"Why not?"

"Because nuns are different than parents. They don't care. You can only come if you're here to foster or adopt someone. And I can only go if it's for school or a family." Skye just started Kindergarten a few weeks ago.

"We're a family."

"You know what I mean."

Grant sighed. "Can we at least try? I can get my parents or Ms. Wheeler to ask the orphanage people." A silence filled the air. They were both thinking the same thing. Why couldn't they just foster Skye? But they thought of the same answer. Eight kids with parents that have no stable jobs are too much. Even if they could, social services would not approve of them. Skye understood, though.

"Okay, then."

* * *

Skye didn't know if she was surprised or not. The nuns actually didn't care. They couldn't wait to get rid of Skye, their trouble-kid. Skye guessed that was good, she was free to see Grant whenever she wanted. So Grant's parents happily set up a play-date between the two young birds with the nuns.

Skye wanted to make a good first impression for Grant's parents. If Skye had learned anything of use from the nuns, it was that first impressions were important. As unfair as it was, people are quick to judge based off of first impressions, instead of knowing the person themselves first. Skye remembered how Grant had told her that his mom liked Daisies. So she set herself off to find a batch of Daisies for Mrs. Ward. Luckily for her, the yard in the Orphanage was filled with daisies. A few minutes later, Skye had a small flower bouquet filled with daisies. Not gonna lie, she was proud of herself. Moments later, she was called to the front office, where Grant and his parents were waiting to pick her up.

"Skye!" She heard Grant's voice calling for her.

With the newfound excitement, Skye started running towards Grant, or a mix of running and limping with her healing ankle. When Skye reached Grant, Grant didn't hesitate to engulf Skye in a large hug. It was like something out of a movie.

"Hi, honey, it's good to see you again." Grant's mom hugged Skye.

"Hey, kiddo. You excited?" His dad reached out and fluffed Skye's hair, letting out a deep chuckle.

"Yeah! I picked some flowers for you!" Skye extended her arm, revealing the bouquet of daisies. She was a little nervous that they wouldn't like them.

"Oh, honey! Daisies are my favorite!"

"I know! That's why I got them for you!"

"My little Daisy. You are a very generous little girl."

"Thank you! Now let's get outta here!" Skye proceeded to skip through the exit, the sound of laughter following her from behind.

Mrs. and Mr. Ward decided to walk back to their house, as it wasn't a long distance. And to save gas money. The kids didn't seem to mind, though. They were as hyper as a cheetah on drugs. Seriously. They were all over the place, running back and forth, in circles, and climbing unclimbable objects. Aside from the occasional warning, Mrs. and Mr. Ward were ecstatic to see the kids so happy.

"Mrs. and Mr. Ward." Skye's voice suddenly rang through the air.

"Yes, little Daisy?" Mrs. Ward found a new nickname for the young girl.

"Do you love Grant?"

Mrs. Ward was a little taken aback by the weird question. "Um..well of course."

"No. From here." Skye pointed to her chest.

"The heart?"

"Do you feel the love from there?"

"Love is more than a feeling, Daisy." Mrs. Ward didn't know how to explain this to a four-year-old. "Feeling love can also make you feel a range of other complex emotions. Happiness, excitement, sadness, heart-"

"Wait. You can feel love and sad at the same time?"

"You can, but not all the time."

"Why would you feel sad when you feel love?"

"Because sometimes love can make people do things that make people sad, but you still love them." Mrs. Ward wasn't going to explain heartbreak to a four-year-old.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Daisy, love is complicated and isn't always easy to figure out."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Call you what? Daisy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you not like it? I can just call you Skye."

"No. I like Daisy."

"Okay then, Daisy."

That conversation had made Mrs. Ward pitiful. But there was nothing she could do. She could barely even afford gas for her car to drive a few meters to the opposite side of the house.

"Did you hear that?" Mrs. Ward whispered to Mr. Ward.

"The whole damn thing." There was a silence that fell between the two until Mr. Ward spoke again. "There's nothing we can do."

"I know."

* * *

"That's our house!" Grant pointed to a worn-down ranch-style house. Skye could see the shape of the orphanage again, the yard of the orphanage connecting with a number of different houses. Grant's house was one and a half stories with an average porch and average front yard. The grassy front yard had toys and chairs scattered everywhere, and a baby slide sat in the middle. The driveway was completely covered in chalk drawings and games. Overall, a blind person could tell that this building was housing many kids.

"Wow." Out of all the foster families that Skye had stayed with, this was the first house she saw that looked so… _kiddy_. Most houses were spotless. No trace of a person under thirty years old. This was the complete opposite.

"Let's go inside so you can meet all my brothers."

Once the front door opened, all hell was loose. Sounds exploded from all over the place, pounding against Skye's eardrums. She'd been in loud families before, but this was different. The noise wasn't coming from arguing, she realized. It was from playing. She could hear voices screaming with laughter. That was a first. Right then and there, two boys rolled by her feet, wrestling. No wonder Grant needed some peace and quiet.

"Skye!" Ms. Wheeler popped out of the kitchen. "Since you were coming, I made my special sandwich just for you!"

Skye gasped and ran towards Ms. Wheeler. Ms. Wheeler showed her around the kitchen and gave her a plastic-wrapped sandwich. Mrs. Ward informed everyone that her next work shift would be in two hours, so she had some time to go around and play with every single child. While Mrs. Ward started making her rounds, Mr. Ward went back to his work.

Skye was gobbling down her sandwich on the kitchen table while Grant played with his baby brother. Skye watched resentfully as Grant and his brother were watching a video. Skye never had a sibling to play with before. Never had someone to look up to. At St. Agnes, orphans were everywhere. There was no place she could go that gave her peace and quiet. Even with all those people crowding around her, she always felt alone.

"Hey Skye," Grant was trying to get Skye's attention. Grant was now sitting in front of her, his little brother in the living room. "That was Thomas. He's two years old. The youngest in the family. Everybody loves him."

Skye nodded. "He's cute."

"Yeah." Grant thought for a moment. "Why did you give yourself the name 'Skye'?"

Skye was caught off guard with the question. "Because."

"Because what?"

Skye took in a breath. "Because the sky has always been there. When nobody else stays, the sky will always stay."

"I never thought about it like that."

"And the skies look very pretty."

"Why do you spell it with an 'E'?"

"I actually didn't until Ms. Wheeler said I was fenominal." Skye smiled. "It makes me different."

* * *

Skye lay awake on her hard mattress, too excited to sleep. Best. Day. Ever. Reflecting on the day, she smiled to herself. She wanted to do it all again. She had jumped on her very first trampoline, ate dinner with a family that made her feel included, and they had let her stay until the stars came out. That was her favorite part. She laid with Grant in the grass of their backyard. Not speaking, just looking at the stars. Stars were her favorite thing in the world. When she was deciding on own her name, the name 'Star' had come up a few times, but concluded that stars were technically included in the sky. Stars were the prettiest in the dark. And Skye thought that was fascinating. The darkness is always tied with bad stuff, like her. But what people don't realize is that the darkness holds the prettiest stars.

In her dreams, she added daisies all around her castle. Wherever she would go, daisies would follow. She sat on the highest tower of the castle, closest to the stars that she'd ever been. Looking at the shower of beautiful stars, she felt relaxed. It made her happy. The wind was comfortably blowing in her hair, and the lovely dress she had on was following the wind behind her. She was smiling. Laughing. And free. Alive. She squinted her eyes shut and felt everything around her. From the smallest rock to the largest dragon. The sound of trees rustling. Ocean waves crashing on her kingdom. Skye didn't think it could get better than this. Happier than this. She felt something in her chest. A warmth. Looking back at the diamond sky, she whispered, "I _love_ this."

* * *

Hi again. Did Marvel ever tell us what the names of Grant's parents were? Because if they did, I can't find it. I looked everywhere. I seriously want to know what their names were. This was kind of a filler chapter, I promise I have more coming. And I promise something exciting is going to happen in the next few chapters. See ya!


	5. Two Months and Seventeen Days

Two months and seventeen days. Grant didn't even get to say goodbye to Skye before she was shipped off to a foster home. Grant didn't exactly know how the foster system works, he just wanted Skye back. Then he felt guilty for wishing that. He knew this was a chance for Skye to get a family.

Turns out, he was right to wish her back. He wished he had wished harder.

Grant couldn't talk to Skye for the first couple of days he found out she was back. They told him she was "resting". Whatever that meant.

Grant paced back and forth, wringing his hands. He was at the orphanage, alone in the front hall, waiting for someone to bring down Skye so they could talk. The nuns didn't question Grant and Skye's friendship, they saw how closely tight-knit they were.

A nun came out of the corner, a hand behind Skye's head, leading her towards Grant. Skye looked… different. Her eyes were tired and dull, and her skin was pale. Her expression was unreadable, but the animated aspect of her face was gone. And she was definitely skinner. That was for sure. The first thing anyone noticed about her was her weight. Or lack of weight. Grant could see all the bones that he learned about the other day with Ms. Wheeler. Skye's eyes look up and met Grant's. The nun stopped a few feet away, but Skye kept moving, not missing a single beat. She steadily walked over to Grant, crashing into his chest and burying her head into his shoulder with no emotion. Grant didn't hesitate and brought his left arm over her back, and he curled his right arm around her head.

"Hi," Grant whispered. Skye closed her eyes took a deep breath. "Are you okay?" Skye nodded against his shoulder. Grant pulled away a little to look into Skye's signature emotion-filled eyes. "What happened?" Skye shrugged. "Come on, Skye." Grant didn't want to push her, but he didn't know how to help her to make her feel better.

Skye took in a breath. "They weren't mean," Her weak voice spoke for the first time in months. She cleared her throat. "But they weren't nice either."

"What did they do?" Grant hesitated with every word he spoke. He could see the thoughts running behind Skye's eyes.

Grant would never admit it, but he was scared out of his mind. He heard stories from Ms. Wheeler about the horrors of the foster system, watched enough movies to know that the orphanage wasn't a happy place, and overheard tales from across the fence. Grant could think of a billion things that may have happened. He didn't like any of them. Except for the one where Skye was just being overdramatic. Or that this was all a dream and he would wake up from the nightmare to a chatty Skye blabbing off about her day. However, deep inside, he knew those weren't the case. After a few minutes, when Grant thought she wouldn't answer the question, she spoke.

"They left me there. Alone. In the basement." Skye's voice cracked. Her usually brave and bold demeanor gone. "They didn't give me any food," She held on tighter to Grant, her hands gripping onto his shirt until her knuckles had no color. "I thought I was gonna die." She admitted quietly. "And I would never say goodbye to you. Never find a forever family." A tear rolled down her boney cheek as Skye let out a small sob.

Grant hid his feelings under a brave face. Skye needed him right now. He stopped Skye from talking, shushing her quietly as he led her over to the couch in the corner. He sat down and pulled Skye against him. Skye was tiny for her age, and Grant was big for his age. But Grant's heart ached for the younger girl against him. Skye was a good person! She cared about everything and everyone around her. Grant had learned about karma from Ms. Wheeler a few days ago, and he knew that Skye deserved none of what was happening to her.

"You're okay now," Grant spoke in a soft tone that he didn't know he was capable of. "I'm here, and I'll protect you." Grant smiled to himself. "Whenever you're with me, you're safe." He paused. "I promise."

* * *

"She spoke to you?" The nuns were in disbelief that Skye had talked to Grant. "Every time she comes back from a home like that, she doesn't speak for months at a time!" The nun added with a chuckle, "Those were my favorite days."

It's like the nuns were _trying_ to make Grant explode. The nuns talked trash about Skye every time he was there, not caring if he heard or not. "That's not nice." Grant decided to state simply. He practiced his breathing exercises taught by Ms. Wheeler when he was angry or frustrated. He had to control his anger, he repeated in his head. Control his anger.

"What did she say to you?" The nuns have never been more curious about anything related to Skye. Skye was now back at her bunk, sleeping to gain back some of her spiteful energy. The nuns had made it clear they didn't like her so said "spiteful energy" a few weeks ago when Grant checked in.

"You don't know?" Grant figured with all the legal stuff and the police reports, _someone_ must know what happened.

"Honey, if you didn't realize yet, she doesn't _speak_." The nun was really getting on Grant's nerves.

"I can see why." Control. The. Anger.

"Just tell me what happened so I can make an official report. Goodness, this child is a walking stack of paperwork."

Grant sighed in frustration. "Basically, your stupid system got her locked up in the basement without food or anything for days. Good luck with explaining that. Bye!" And with that, Grant strolled out of the office, leaving the door swinging back and forth behind him.

* * *

Overwhelmed. Skye was very overwhelmed. She didn't know how to process everything that was going on. Honestly, she didn't really remember what went on during her stay with the Sharpe's. It was mostly how it felt. That was normal, she remembered over the last few years. The doctor with the sleepy voice said so. She remembered every panicky feeling she would get when the door opened and she saw light for the first time in a week; she remembered the feeling of hunger that threatened to eat her alive; she remembered the tears that stained her sticky face; the footsteps in the middle of the night, she felt too much of it.

She didn't know how to function anymore. Everything seemed too bright, the world was moving too fast, her throat had forgotten how to speak, and everything felt like a blur. Like she was outside her body, looking in. She didn't like it. It was scary. She wanted things to go back to normal - if it ever was.

The girl realized she couldn't eat like she used to. She would get full before she was halfway through the small meal the orphanage offered. Using that as an advantage, the other kids stole her food. She didn't mind, she wouldn't eat it anyway, but she didn't like that she was tired all the time. Too tired to fight back. Her legs had lost all muscle from being chained to the corner of the basement.

The doctors specifically ordered her to "take things lightly" and to be involved with "no physical activity". Usually, doctor's orders made her roll her eyes and groan, but she was a little happy with them this time. She couldn't participate in physical activities if she wanted to. It was an excuse to hide her never-ending fatigue. Just taking the stairs to her room, walking the hallway to the changing rooms, walking back to brush her teeth and shower, and going back to her shared room was enough to make her legs die. She tried it once, the nuns underestimating Skye's lack of muscle. After the incident of Skye just sleeping in the middle of the hallway for the night, the nuns moved her back to the infirmary. Skye wasn't complaining; there were wheelchairs and fewer children. She knew it wouldn't last forever though. She would have to go back someday.

Some children would purposely injure themselves to get the "infirmary treatment". Three meals a day, a comfy bed, and peace and quiet. The nuns quickly caught on, however, changing the rules so the "infirmary treatment" went to those who actually needed it. Skye was glad.

Skye snapped back to reality with her best friend's voice. "But it's your favorite!" Grant was over at Skye's room in the infirmary, offering Skye her favorite "special sandwich" made by Ms. Wheeler. The older woman had even left her a note. Skye couldn't visit Ms. Wheeler for medical reasons, and Ms. Wheeler couldn't visit Skye for job-related reasons. They settled for using Grant as their messenger. On normal days, Skye would be elevated about her favorite sandwich with a note in it from her best friend. But today she was just too tired.

"Not hungry." Skye repeated simply for the fifth time. Skye was still not back to her talkative self, only using small words and phrases with Grant. Because he promised that she would be safe with him. Best friends never broke promises.

"Come on Skye, you never finish your meals anymore," Grant begged.

"I will! just not _now_." Skye was getting increasingly frustrated. Why can't he just leave her alone?

"_Skye,_" Grant placed his hand on her arm, not expecting her to jerk away. The movement was so sudden and fast that the sandwich went flying out of his hands, crashing to the floor. They both went silent, staring at the mess of lettuce, ketchup, and ham scattered all over the floor. Grant hid the gasp that almost made it out of his mouth, his eyes widening with the unexpectancy.

Skye was breathing hard, almost in tears. She didn't mean for this to happen. She just didn't expect the sudden contact. From experience, no one at the orphanage touched her after she came back from a foster home. Everyone knew how she would react if they touched her and she didn't initiate the contact first. Everyone but Grant. When was the last time someone touched her without her permission? Her own thoughts were spiraling out of control in her prisoned mind. She let Grant hug her a few days ago, but _she_ was the one that hugged _him_. Plus she really, really missed him. She balled her shaky hands into fists, trying to control her trembling body under the blanket.

"I'm sorry." Their voices rang in unison at the exact same time. Skye and Grant each grew silent, giving the other person a chance to speak. When they didn't, Skye and Grant spoke together again, "For what? You did nothing wrong." Out of disbelief and amusement, they looked up at each other and spoke again. "What do you mean? It was my fault."

Breaking the unison speaking, Grant didn't miss a beat before he spoke again, "I shouldn't have touched you."

"I shouldn't have reacted." Skye countered, wanting this conversation to be over.

"You have every right to react."

"You have every right to touch me."

"No I don't. How long are we going to do this?"

"As long as you want to."

"Skye!" Grant didn't know how to argue with an overly mature four year old. Skye grew quiet, her face morphed into a little pout as she ducked her head under her blanket. Grant took a deep breath and started again. "Skye. You can talk to me, you know? I'm your best friend. Best friends tell each other everything."

Skye thought about his words. Skye _did _have a best friend now. She wasn't alone like before. This friendship meant so much to her and she was willing to go out of her comfort zone to reserve it. Grant was right. He hung out with her everyday and offered unconditional support and she couldn't even talk to him? Skye let out a breath. "Okay."

* * *

**Hey, sorry for the long wait. School happened. This chapter is a bit messy because I wrote bits and pieces of it during different times. Again, please review! **


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